Sliding wardrobe doors

Tuesday, 21 May 2013

Space – Our bedrooms, especially the master bedroom always seem to
be cluttered with furniture and other things. You’re lucky sometimes if you can
make your way around the bed let alone get in it! You look at your furniture
and all of it is full to bursting point. What you need is more room, but not
another item of furniture is going to fit. Well, help is at hand with fitted
sliding door wardrobes as you will instantly create space. As they are fitted
to any area shape there is no space wasted and because of all the storage elements
you will need less furniture rather than more. Also, because there is no door
opening allowance you can place other essential pieces very near to them.

Storage – The world’s your storage oyster with fitted wardrobes. Whatever
your storage requirements, they can be catered for. Whether you are desperate
for hanging rails, shelves, drawers, tie or shoe holders, all of these can be
incorporated in and the great thing is that it’s all neatly tucked away behind
those closed doors. The fact that they are purpose built for you is an added
bonus.

Style – Fitted wardrobes
have come a long way in the last few years and new designs are being launched
all the time. If you choose wisely you can have an up to date design that will
also look good in years to come. Once they are built in you will hardly
recognize your room, such will be the transformation.

Savings – It is wrongly presumed that fitted sliding door wardrobes are very expensive but actually when you
price them up and compare them to free standing items of furniture; they can
actually work out to be cheaper. There are always many savings to be made and
many deals to be done. So shop around and you are likely to find the design you
want at the price you want to pay.

House Sale – When you are ready to sell your house, fitted
wardrobes in the bedrooms can be a really positive selling point. Buyers these
days with busy lifestyles just want to move in, hang up their things in the
wardrobes and settle themselves in. There is nothing worse than having to
trudge around the shops trying to find some free standing units that will fit
the bedroom.

Sunday, 21 April 2013

If we are working and have a
family too, then “calm” isn’t a word most of us would use to describe our
homes! Juggling responsibilities is often just part of a hectic and busy
lifestyle and escaping from it can be difficult. The master bedroom should
offer some brief respite from the hurly burly but too often, this room is
overcrowded, with piled clothes either ready for washing or ironing and the
kids running in and out at a hundred miles an hour. However, there are things
we can do to the decor of this room to at least encourage a little more
tranquillity and peace.

With a bit of determination and a
little creativity, especially when it comes to the bedroom furniture, there are
lots of ways in which you can make positive changes. If you can find the time,
the best place to start is by having a thorough “sort out”. If that means
ruthlessly throwing away some of the clutter, then so be it.

The walls often dominate a room,
so they are a good place to begin your overhaul. Choose a colour – a warm grey
tone will work well. At the time of writing, it’s a hugely popular colour, so
it will be up to date. It’s also a tone that has a calming effect; it’s
interesting without assaulting the senses.

Your flooring should be kept as
simple as possible, so if you are fortunate enough to have a room with natural
floorboards, these can be painted in soft white tones. This will make it feel
clean and fresh as well as contemporary. If you have to go with carpet, keep
the colours neutral. To add a little texture if you have gone down the
floorboard route, you could try a sheepskin rug.

If you have decided to keep your
existing bed, there are still ways you can give it a facelift. You could paint
the frame in a deeper shade of grey than the walls or you could make a new
headboard using wadding and MDF. Cover it with a fabric – again in that tone of
grey. You could also make the headboard extra large which will help to give it
an extra luxurious touch.

Bedding itself should be kept
simple. White always works, especially if you accessorise cleverly. A stylish
tartan blanket as a runner will pull the scheme together if the colours are
chosen carefully.

The window areas can also play a
part in promoting a peaceful atmosphere. Use some white voile and perhaps some
striped curtains – again picking out the main theme colours.

Your furniture might also need an
overhaul, especially if one of the main problems is cluttering. Teak coloured
furniture will not only provide contrast to the grey walls but also set them
off beautifully. Furniture is often big and bulky and takes up most of your
space, so why not consider installing sliding wardrobe doors which are excellent for creating effective, streamlined
storage. Having them made to measure means they will fit perfectly into any
available space. No longer will you need to have all the laundry on display.
Choose a wardrobe style that suits your new decor and if you want to create the
feeling of a bit more light, then choose something with a mirrored finish.

Hopefully, when you pull all the
elements together, the result will be a much nicer, calmer room to be in!

Tuesday, 26 March 2013

Guest bedrooms, by their very
nature are usually only used occasionally and as a result tend to end up a
little barren in design or worse, filled with junk and clutter! However, with a
few well chosen items and an improved storage solution, the guest bedroom can
not only be suitable for your guests but also make a great extra room for the
home.

Firstly, why not put absolutely
everything into the redesign? Instead of using furniture and accessories from
other rooms in the house, if you have the available budget, you can start from
scratch with some new items and pieces of furniture.

The walls always make a good
starting point. A modern coloured paint will go a long way to stopping the room
from looking neglected. A plum colour on one or two of the walls and cream on
the other walls will stop the room from looking too dark. A neutral coloured
carpet nearly always works well because sofa beds are often used in these rooms
and the carpet will help to stop drafts. The neutral shades will work with any
future colour schemes.

For the window area, a splash of
plum and cream full length curtains will give the feeling that this is a proper
room and not just something that is used once in a while. Blinds are probably
not a good choice on this occasion as they can make the room feel a bit too
clinical.

Clever use of furniture is vital
for a room that needs a lot of storage. Walnut style furniture will help add
depth and warmth and you could even make a headboard out of chipboard and wadding.
Cover it with a plum and cream chequered fabric and this will help create a
modern feel. Hold back some of the fabric and you could make a matching runner
for the bed.

If you choose to replace the
wardrobes and current storage areas, wardrobes with sliding doors would
certainly make a sensible alternative for a guest bedroom. Storage options
inside fitted wardrobes are
plentiful and you can select what you think will be most beneficial, whether it’s
rails, shelves, drawers, shoe holders or storage baskets. This will provide all
the required storage space needed for general use plus extra storage for spare
duvets, pillows, blankets and towels, which your guests will need. The beauty
is it will all be hidden behind the sliding doors! Walnut is one of the popular
finishes for this kind of wardrobe and if you have one door finished in white
glass, it will provide a stylish contrast and add light to the room.

Your guest room is now ready for
your guests as well as being a room that you can now feel confident in
presenting to anyone.

For more information about sliding wardrobe doors and bedroom design, please visit our main website at www.slidewardrobesdirect.co.uk

Thursday, 21 February 2013

Creating an attic bedroom is
becoming more and more popular and not simply because an extra room is needed.
Attic rooms are now being converted into master bedrooms with their own en
suite facilities and features.

If you are lucky enough to have
the available space to do just that, then here are a few ideas to enhance all
of the attic’s best features.

It’s quite likely that most of
the walls will have been plastered in order to bring out a more homely, warm
feel. However, if you are able to leave one wall exposed with its “brick”
textures, this is a really easy way of creating a feature wall as well as adding
some character and charm. If you can use this particular wall to frame the
headboard of your bed, then even better!

Your choice of colours will be
important as many attics, by nature, can feel bare and barren. You could use a
cream colour for the wall opposite the brick feature and you could perhaps mix
it up with plum coloured side walls, blending the warmth with a modern edge.

It’s not always the case, but
many attics possess those wonderful ceiling beams and if they have been left
exposed, you can really make the most of them. Create a lovely contrast by
painting the ceiling white or cream and leaving the beams exposed in their
natural “wooden” state.

Although natural wooden floors
are really popular in the attic, they do pose a few problems, namely a lack of
warmth and the sound of shoes or heels for any rooms or neighbours on the floor
below you. Carpets can solve both of these problems and choosing something
neutral coloured will give it real lifespan even if you need to redecorate. If
you do choose to keep the wooden flooring exposed, then at least soften it up
with some thick rugs.

When introducing furniture, try a
metal/brass bed frame which will again help with that contrast of beams and
bricks. Dress it with a patchwork quilt to add pattern and the introduction of
a few plum scatter cushions will lend a modern element to the overall
appearance.

When it comes to the bedside
cupboards, dressing tables and wardrobe, a natural wood finish with metal
handles would certainly complement.

On the subject of wardrobes, it
can not only be very difficult to actually get them into the attic room but you
then have the additional problem of fitting them into the difficult angles and
sloping ceilings. Using made to measure sliding wardrobe doors can certainly help to solve this problem. Not only do they fit
into your available space but they can also be assembled on site, so no
problems getting them up there.

To round everything off, try
using curtains that are light in colour as many attic windows tend to be small
and you want as much light coming through as possible. Accessorise with some
stylish lamps, vases, mirrors and even some fresh flowers to help create a
feeling of airiness.

Friday, 8 February 2013

Small bedrooms are common; in
fact, we've all probably lived in a house that has had at least one small
bedroom in it. The smallest bedroom in the home is often referred to as the
“box” room and is often used for storage. However, if designed carefully, even
the smallest bedrooms can be effective and useful.

What sort of bedroom will it be?
A standard bedroom, perhaps, like all the others, a nursery room or even a
spare bedroom that might double up as an office when empty?

Furniture and the layout of it,
is the key element in making sure each room reaches its maximum potential.

Spare room – The first thing on your list of “must haves” for this
room is a sofa bed. This immediately gives you the option of dressing it as
bedroom (bed) or dual purpose room (sofa). Sofa beds are currently very popular
and there are many designs, so choosing something that suits the room perfectly
will be easy.

When selecting colours, make sure
they are light or at least neutral. Lighter colours will help give the room a
sense of size, while neutral colours will allow much more flexibility in your
design.

Although curtains can often make
a room feel cosy, they can also make small rooms feel even smaller. So, as you
are trying to create a feeling of space, you could opt for some simple wooden
blinds and a small drape, giving a much more airy feel.

Wardrobes with sliding doors will
provide many of the answers to your storage questions and with doors opening
from side to side, rather than outwards, this can be a great way of saving
space.

Choose a bedside table that can
be used both for your night light and storage with a few drawers in it.

If the room is going to be an
office first and a bedroom second, then instead of the wardrobes, here you
could opt for some small pieces of office furniture and equipment.

A nursery room – The beauty of nursery furniture is that by its
nature it’s much smaller and is therefore suited to smaller rooms. A cot that
doubles up as a small bed will be long lasting and won’t take up as much room
as a standard single bed.

You can use a chest of drawers
for a nappy changing area, with a changing mat placed on the top. A few well
situated shelves can store important items such as wipes, powders etc. Baskets
under the bed can be an ideal home for toys.

Nursery designs are of course
varied and often childlike, but it’s still important to keep colours light and
airy.

A standard bedroom – The same rules apply for a straightforward
small bedroom. Keep beds small or have them built in (with storage space
underneath), fitted wardrobes and furniture that is generally light in nature
to go hand in hand with a light colour scheme.

Tuesday, 29 January 2013

If you are willing to take the
job on, then building your own wardrobes could save you some money in the long
term, especially if you are thinking about buying new wardrobes. It might seem
like a daunting task but taken one step at a time, some basic DIY skills should
see you through the job comfortably.

Let’s just take a step by step
look at the basics as you consider the pros and cons of building your own wardrobe.

Planning – What sort of wardrobe are you hoping to end up with? Are
you looking for something that just has lots of hanging rails or are you hoping
to incorporate drawers and shelves too? It’s a good idea to get a pencil and
paper and try to sketch out what you are hoping to achieve. Will you be storing
lots of hats and shoes in the wardrobe? If so, it’s worth considering a shelf
unit above the hanging rails, where all the relevant bits and pieces can be
stored.

Measuring – You won’t really get very far without some accurate
measurements and every aspect of your wardrobe, from the various interior
components (shelves, rails etc.) , the doors and the overall structure itself
needs to be carefully measured out and matched up with the measurements you
have made in your bedroom.

Materials – Before you spend a fortune at your local DIY
superstore, it might be worth looking around the home for materials, to see if
you can recycle. If you are replacing your existing wardrobes, before you throw
them into the skip, it’s worth checking to see if you can scavenge any of the
materials from the carcass. There might be shelving, rails or other bits of
wood you can use to get you started, as well as saving you a pretty penny. If
you don’t have enough in the budget for sliding doors but still want to save on
opening space, you could feasibly just put some curtains on the front!

Construction Ideas – Wardrobes are often large and heavy and even
individual components can be awkward to hold in place at the same time as using
tools. So, it’s always a good idea to have another person with you, even if it’s
just to hold things or to pass you materials. Ensure all of your tools are in
good working order and safe to use. Small knocks and bangs are sometimes
inevitable during DIY jobs, but serious injuries are avoidable.

Saturday, 19 January 2013

Wardrobe type - Fitted sliding door wardrobes are by far the most
popular currently available and it’s easy to see why. They can be tailor made
to fit your bedroom and they make the best use of any available space, which also
makes them ideal for all of your bedroom storage. If you prefer not to go down
the fitted wardrobe route, there are still plenty of free standing units on the market
that are stylish and classy.

Perhaps you have already revamped
the rest of your bedroom and your wardrobes are the last piece of the jigsaw,
allowing you to draw all the elements together. If the plan is to blend them in
with existing furniture, your decision making needs to be spot on. Selecting a
whole range of bedroom furniture of the same design, should obviously not a
problem but if you are looking to incorporate sliding door wardrobes into an
existing scheme, your planning will need to be more considered.

Measurements - It doesn't matter what sort of wardrobes you have
decided upon, you will still need to get all your measurements just right.
Measuring up should be your very first task before you head out wardrobe
shopping. In the case of fitted wardrobes, you will be asked by the supplier to
provide precise measurements anyway. However, if you fall in love with a free standing
unit in a shop and impulse tells you it’s exactly what you have been looking
for, you need to ensure that when it’s delivered to your home that it’s not too
small or even worse - it’s far too big for your bedroom!

Style - The style of your room will be important. If you crave a
modern looking bedroom but are also fond of antique furniture, then you have a
crucial decision to make because it’s unlikely the two styles will work
together, in fact they are more likely to clash.

Colours – Colour selection is another thing to plan carefully.
Choosing darker wardrobe colours is likely to make your room feel smaller and
of course darker. Lighter coloured wardrobes can help to create a larger,
warmer feel, whilst wardrobes with a mirrored finish will help create an
illusion of space as it reflects light around the room. What colour are you
walls? If you do have very light coloured walls, then this might be the only
occasion when darker wardrobes could work by adding some depth and warmth to
the room.

Choosing wardrobes for children - If you are preparing a room for a
child, then fitted wardrobes could be the best option. Themed, free standing
furniture for children may look very cute initially but the child will quickly
grow up and the furniture will date, so some fitted wardrobes along one wall,
will not only give the room design longevity but will also be great for hiding
all those toys!

For a full range of sliding wardrobes for the bedroom, please feel free to visit us at our main website - Slide Wardrobes Direct.